Antenna wire support structure



1970 E. G. PARTRIDGE ANTENNA WIRE SUPPORT STRUCTURE Filed March 6. 1967 United States Patent O M 3,532,315 ANTENNA WIRE SUPPORT STRUCTURE Emerson G. Partridge, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, assiguor to Structural Glass Limited, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Filed Mar. 6, 1967, Ser. No. 620,802 Int. Cl. H01q 1/14 US. Cl. 248-205 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to new and useful improvements in antennae and the elements therefor, particularly antennae used for radio reception.

In order to obtain the reception required under the majority of conditions, it is necessary that the antenna wire be mounted in a certain pattern upon hrms or ele ments of one form or another. It is essential, under many conditions, to maintain a pattern accurately and this lack of being able to maintain the pattern is one of the faults of conventional antennae.

The present invention overcomes this advantage by the provision of two back to back sets of elements which enable the antenna wire to be strung in the desired pattern and to maintain this pattern under conditions of heavy wind and the like.

In conjunction with the foregoing, the individual elements contain novelty inasmuch as strength and rigidity is combined with an open type construction so that they offer considerably less wind resistance than would a solid element. This together with the fact that they are light weight and corrosion resistant, enables an antenna to be made which is weather resistant, maintains the rigid form and is light weight with minimum resistance.

With the foregoing in view, and such other objects, purposes or advantages as may become apparent from consideration of this disclosure and specification, the present invention consists of the inventive concept in whatsoever way the same may be embodied having regard to the particular exemplification or exempli-fications of same herein, with due regard in this connection being had to the accompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of my antenna construction.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of one of the elements.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of one of the spacers.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side view showing the inner end of one element attached to the stub of the main support.

FIG. 5 is a view substantially at right angles to FIG. 1.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

Proceeding therefore to describe the invention in detail, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings in which 10 illustrates a main supporting member 3,532,315 Patented Oct. 6, 1970 tubing 10 adjacent the ends 14 thereof, said stubs inclining outwardly and being situated at to one another extending in a radial arrangement.

Elements collectively designated 15 are secured to these stubs and extend radially outwardly from each end of the supporting member 10, the four elements at one end of a supporting member constituting a set.

Due to the location and position of the stubs 13, the elements extend radially outwardly from the ends and define a recessed pyramidal area 16 at each end of the support 10 and these areas defined by the two sets of elements, are back to back as clearly shown.

Plastic rods 17 extend between opposing elements of each set thus locking the two sets together and maintaining the relationship between the various elements.

It is a characteristic of antennae that the smaller the antenna loops, the closer the two opposing loops should be together. By extending four antenna loops of antenna wire 18 around the elements 15 as clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, it will be observed that the outer or larger loop 18' is farther apart from loop 18 than the innermost or smaller loop 18" is from loop 18 so that the antenna construction gives a very desirable signal receiving characteristic.

The individual elements 15 are manufactured preferably of fiberglass rods 19 and although the present device uses three such rods per element, it will of course be appreciated that a greater number can be used if desired.

The three fiberglass rods 19 are maintained in the substantially triangular relationship by means of triangular spacers 20 having recessed corners 21 within which the rods 19 engage. The spacers decrease in area from the inner ends 22 towards the outer ends 23 so that when the rods are engaged with the spacers 20, they present a tapered element which tapers from the inner ends 22 towards the outer ends 23.

Glass or plastic filaments 24 saturated with resin are then spirally wound around the three rods engaging the spacers and these spirally wound filaments are bonded to the glass fiber rods in the usual manner so that when they are cured, a rigid construction is formed.

I prefer to provide two spiral windings 24 and 24', one being left handed and the other right handed and being wound in overlapping relationship as clearly shown in the drawings.

One of the important characteristics of the present device is that these spiral windings are open. In other Words, the individual filaments 25 are in spaced relationship from one another thus giving a substantially triangular open latticed construction.

Adjacent the inner ends 22 of the rods 19, I wrap the filaments 24 and 24' in overlapping relationship so that when it is bonded to the rods, a type of socket is formed identified by the reference character 26. This engages over the aforementioned stubs 13 and conventional clamps 27 are used to clamp the elements to the stubs as shown in FIG. 4.

Depending upon the dimensions of the elements, the spacers 20 can be utilized all the way from the inner ends 22 to the outer ends 23 or, if the dimensions are relatively small, the spacers can terminate approximately two-thirds of the way along the elements, the three rods being in contact with one another for the remainder of the distance with the glass fiber filaments of course extending the full length of the elements.

The aforementioned antenna wire 18 is mounted upon the sets of elements in square formation as shown in FIG. 5.

A plurality of lengths of flexible plastic tubing 28 are clamped to the elements in the desired position and the antenna wire passes freely through these flexible lengths of tubing so that the tension is equalized over the entire assembly.

The wind resistance, of course, is extremely low due to the open latticed work formation of the elements and the fact that they are manufactured from glass fiber gives the necessary rigidity and light Weight to the antenna.

The process utilized in Wrapping the glass fiber filaments around the glass fiber reinforced plastic rods is known as the wet-out process in which the filaments are passed through a bath of catalyzed resin and are then wrapped in a wet condition around the rods at which time the resin cures and bonds the filaments to the rods and also makes the filaments a relatively rigid element in itself.

The spacers 20 can either have recessed corners in which the rods rest, or alternatively, these corners can be shaped as indicated at 21 in FIG. 3 so that the rods snap in position and therefore form a relatively rigid element prior to the winding thereon of the processed filament.

What is claimed to be the present invention is:

1. An antenna wire support comprising a main support member, a plurality of stubs projecting laterally outwardly from said support member, and a plurality of elongated wire supporting elements mounted on the respective stubs and extending radially outwardly from the support member, each of said wire supporting elements being tapered longitudinally from its inner end to its outer end and comprising a set of juxtaposed rods of plastic material disposed in outwardly convergent relation, a plurality of spacer plates provided at longitudinally spaced points References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 760,167 5/1904 Warner 52654 X 1,328,927 1/1920' Lochman 52-654 3,273,159 9/1966 Holloway 343-867 FOREIGN PATENTS 850,974 1 0/1960 Great Britain.

325,75 8 1/ 1958 Switzerland.

OTHER REFERENCES Microwave Journal, January 1964, p. 104.

25 PAUL L. GENSLER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

